Written by Clifford Stanley
FINANCE Minister Dr. Ashni Singh joined with Members of the United Nations Country team in Guyana in calling on the local mass media and operatives to play a pivotal role in sustaining the momentum to achieve outstanding Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Dr. Singh said the mass media were the information intermediaries between officials and the public.
“As such you have a very important role to raise public awareness of the efforts being undertaken in poverty reduction and the overall progress towards the anti poverty push at both the global and, more particularly, the local level,” he said.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Ms. Khadija Musa said the media can ensure that key issues such as education, HIV/AIDS, food security and sustainable development remain in the forefront of public consciousness and encourage public participation in, and support of, these efforts.
The comments were made by the Finance Minister, the UN Resident Coordinator and other speakers at a forum titled ‘MDG Momentum 1000 days of action – a conversation with the media’.
It was organised by the local UN Officials with the aim of sensitising media operatives of the important role they can play in ensuring that the MDGs are achieved by 2015.
The event coincided with ‘International Day for the eradication of poverty’ “which was observed worldwide yesterday.
The venue was the Georgetown Club and those in attendance included, apart from local Journalists and Officials of the Ministry of Finance, heads of the UN agencies, who all reported on the progress of the MDGs in Guyana, the challenges and the need for maintaining the momentum to ensure that the goals are achieved globally and here in Guyana, within the 800 days remaining before the deadline in 2015.
During the meeting the speakers reiterated that the MDGs aim to end extreme poverty and hunger, provide universal primary education, achieve gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV /AIDS, ensure environmental sustainability    and develop a partnership for development globally and locally.
These goals are all to be achieved by 2015.
Dr. Ashni Singh disclosed that Guyana has recorded considerable progress towards achieving its MDGs.
He said the main area of concern was that of  ‘maternal mortality’.
Dr Singh reported that, overall, there has been a drastic reduction in cases of women dying in childbirth.
The instances which occur, however, are unacceptable and this was an area in which much more work needed to be done.
He said Government had identified maternal mortality as a focal area for an MDG programme, which would place special emphasis on this MDG to accelerate achievements in this area to ensure that the objectives of drastically reduced maternal deaths are achieved by 2015.
The accelerated programme is being undertaken with assistance from the United Nations Development Project (UNDP).
The Finance Minister also said the poverty reduction  aim of the MDG was a matter that should be of interest to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic situation.
“Poverty reduction is a global public good. A world of universal prosperity must surely be a good thing for all of us. A better educated world is a more productive world. It is the business of every one, rich or poor, to ensure that poverty reduction/eradication is achieved globally and within the countries that have committed to the MDGs,” Dr Singh stated.
He said reducing poverty anywhere redounds to the collective well being of all and the mass media was best suited to ensure that this understanding becomes a significant part of public awareness.
Ms. Musa reiterated that the MDGs are the most successful global anti-poverty push in history.
She said the meeting was aimed at cementing the partnership between the UN country team and Government and journalists.
She said much has been achieved to date  and called on the media to become partners in the period towards the countdown to 2015; to report on the achievements and the challenges; to ensure the public is well informed and encouraged to participate in active debates on  programmes towards this objective.
She urged that the MDGs remain a key area of focus for journalists in the final push for their attainment.
Presentations by Heads of the UN Agencies dealing with each one of the eight MDGs followed the formal opening.